INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician… MoreINSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles-some of them of his own making. (c) CBS

This is one of the strangest yet most satisfying movie experiences of the year, one of those films in which you can't really appreciate what you've seen until it's over. You just have to trust that the trip is worth the trouble. And it is.

The broad, black humor of the Coens' early features has ripened over the years into a sadder, more philosophical brand of comedy (A Serious Man) that puts them in a class with Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch (yeah, you heard me).

A brilliant, memorable, deep-thinking film about a struggling folk singer (Oscar Isaac) and his many attempts to break in to the folk music scene during the… MoreA brilliant, memorable, deep-thinking film about a struggling folk singer (Oscar Isaac) and his many attempts to break in to the folk music scene during the early 1960's, especially after he sees a former lover (Carey Mulligan) and her boyfriend (Justin Timberlake) start to take off with their singing career. Like many Coen movies, this is a picture loaded with depth, interesting characters, surrealistic scenes, and a haunting, head-scratching conclusion. Ultimately, this film is a winner given the utter masterstroke of genius the Coens turn in with how they end the movie, which is exactly how they begin it. Isaac turns in an outstanding performance in a challenging role where his character is equal parts easy to sympathize with, but also easy to be annoyed with. It is a film which makes you think about where it is going, and when it reaches its destination, the viewer should be floored by the sheer genius involved in how this film is crafted. A near masterpiece that definitely warrants a view. Or two. Or a ton.

Alice Shen

"Inside Llewyn Davis" is a ramblin' rover of a Sisyphean task that harkens back to the Coen Brothers' nihilistic "A Serious Man."… More"Inside Llewyn Davis" is a ramblin' rover of a Sisyphean task that harkens back to the Coen Brothers' nihilistic "A Serious Man." Glowery and enigmatic Oscar Isaac sings his way into the soul of folk as the eponymous Llewyn, who, try as he might, can't get a break in the music biz or a permanent bed to sleep in.
*Mild spoilers* At the end of the film, a shot of a young Bob Dylan making his ostensible musical debut signals the nascent momentum of the folk scene, but the audience gets the impression that even though Llewyn is plenty good at what he does, he's just not one of the Chosen Ones and will miss riding this wave to fame. He is very much like the orange tabby with whom he feels an inexplicable kinship. He lives the nine, aimless lives of a once-pampered house cat who now roams the streets, eschewing stability and creature comforts in pursuit of a freedom and wildness he craves but knows naught of.
Llewyn may piss a lot of people off: he learns of past transgressions but can't bring himself to rectify the situation, and his entire journey goes nowhere (as evidenced by the film's circular structure), but I dug the hapless kitty foil (hyuk) and the static character arc.

Jim Hunter

A sixties folk singer attempts to achieve success amid his sundry personal problems.
While it's a character study, most character studies work when the… MoreA sixties folk singer attempts to achieve success amid his sundry personal problems.
While it's a character study, most character studies work when the characters strive toward a definite goal. Llewyn certainly has problems -- the pregnancy, his lack of true success, the separation from his former singing partner, his adversarial sister, the escaping cat, which is the only relationship that humanizes him -- but there isn't a clear drive for professional success and recognition that pushes the plot forward. Instead these difficulties merely turn him into an asshole, but not a compelling or interesting one. And why would Jean fuck him in the first place? Sure, her relationship with Jim doesn't seem to be remarkably strong, but her relationship with Llewyn is even more strained, and it's hard to imagine a time when it wasn't.
Oscar Isaac gives an excellent performance with a great singing voice, and Carey Mulligan has a death-stare that rivals Daniel Day-Lewis's, but these are strong performances in a drowning plot.
Overall, the Coens are phenomenal filmmakers, but this one does not carry a tune.

Cynthia S.

A quiet, slightly dark, story of a struggling folk musician. Scene by scene the film is nicely captivating, and some of the music is really good. There are… MoreA quiet, slightly dark, story of a struggling folk musician. Scene by scene the film is nicely captivating, and some of the music is really good. There are hints of a "mockumentary" approach, as in the barely disguised references to popular groups of the era (LLewyn's critical comment on the Clancy Brothers look-alikes is classic: "I like their sweaters."). Definitely not a fast moving story, but an interesting one just the same. Not the best ending, in my opinion....unless they were going for "you reap what you sow" kind of ending.

Llewyn may be a through and through asshole but Inside Llewyn Davis is something to treasure. Full review later.

danny d

a shinning light in the midst of a down year for cinema for me, which makes the snub of oscar recognition stand out all the more. the film is incredibly… Morea shinning light in the midst of a down year for cinema for me, which makes the snub of oscar recognition stand out all the more. the film is incredibly ambiguous, almost an exercise in open ended plot and character development. the music is really good but actually centers in realism rather than being inspired, it is almost underwhelming despite its quality. great performances and wonderful writing round out another amazing coen bros. film.

Chris Weber

June 6th, 2012. That was when I first watched Woody Allen's Manhattan. A film I HAD to watch twice because I honestly didn't know how I felt about it,… MoreJune 6th, 2012. That was when I first watched Woody Allen's Manhattan. A film I HAD to watch twice because I honestly didn't know how I felt about it, and almost kinda didn't like it. It's not often I feel that way about a movie, and it wasn't until early January of 2014 when I felt that way again. That was when I went to the local indie theater and watched Inside LLewyn Davis. Well, technically I had similar feeling just under two months before when I saw Frozen, but the feelings were even stronger with ILD.
And here it is, March 2014, and I still kinda don't know exactly how I feel about ILD. I warmed up to Frozen, but I'm still a bit conflicted with ILD. And this bothers me.
Perhaps some more context is needed. I'm a Coen Brothers apologist. It's basically impossible for me to get too critical or dislike the films of Joel and Ethan Coen. Also, when I saw Inside Llewyn Davis, it was during the downslope of my most recent relationship (a bit of a dark, rough time), and it was the last film my now ex and I saw as a couple. She loved it. I was conflicted about it, and we had personal tensions rising between us. I'm the fan boy, and, thanks to me, she was becoming a fan. And while my personal life is an influence, it's not the main one. In fact, I think I had an unsure feeling about this one ever since I first heard about it, or at least since I fist saw the trailer. Typically, I'm immediately "in" when I see a trailer for a Coen Bros. movie. The trailer for this one left me cold, underwhelmed, and worried that this might be their first film that's not really that good. This worried me as I love the Coens, and the fact that this is a period piece about the Greenwich Village folk scene.
And the film is a lot like the trailer. It finds the Coens in a dark, nihilistic, and somber mood. It has moments of humor of course, but, much like the winter the film takes place in, it's quite a frosty and bitter affair.
In the immediate conversation my ex and I had as we drove home, she said she'd give it 4 and a 1/2 out of 5, whereas I, feeling pressed, gave it a tentative 4 (at the very least). The ex hated, and I mean fervently HATED A Serious Man, whereas I love it. Because of conversations we had about that film, she got me thinking that maybe I was in the wrong, and that that film really wasn't all that great. She mostly didn't care for it because a lot of it felt pointless, and, though it had good ideas, didn't quite come together for her. She also hated the nature of the characters, and felt no connection to them. I keep bringing that film up because this one is a lot like that.
The plot is a pretty loose one. It's set in the early 1960s pre-Dylan folk scene in New York, and features a week in the life of a fairly talented but struggling folk singer. He's got a lot of problems, many of them being his own fault since he's more than a little bit of an unlikeable jerk. He's a difficult person, and also kinda aimless and shiftless. Not a whole lot happens over the course of this week, at least not on a personal level, which is kinda problematic since this is primarily a character study. Even the Coens said they added the subplot about a cat because they were worried that the film had too little of a plot.
It struck me as odd how the ex hated ASM for being so plot lite, but loved this one. She did admit that there was just a bit more plot here than in ASM to keep her going. Any less and she would have not been as on board. That, and I think she just liked/cared about this story more than that one.
Like my continual bringing up of the (painful) past, Inside Llewyn Davis is a circuitous film that dwells on the unpleasant. You want to like Llewyn, but he doesn't make it hard. He's got a sad life, but he doesn't do much to make it better. I too feel like a lot of my problems are because of me, and it hit a bit too close to home for me realizing that I'm pretty aimless and shiftless like Llewyn. At least my ex was far less venomous and bitchy than Carey Mulligan's character. And I don't think I have it as bad as him, but then again, I do have a penchant for thinking my life is miserable (and even trying to make it that way on purpose).
I don't know how many of you are still reading this, and maybe I should just start over from the beginning and revamp this whole review. I don't think I will though. I need this. Even though my break up was quite amicable, and even though I am more over it than I thought, I still have a lot of baggage and things I've kept bottled up. This is catharsis for me.
I did like this movie. It is a challenge, and maybe I need to rewatch it with a new perspective, a cleansed palate. After all, I did have to watch Manhattan twice before I felt sure about it.
For now though, I'll just finish this review, and give my grade as a tentative one, even if it bugs me that whatever grade I give it may not be the absolute "final" one.
This is a moody, atmospheric period piece with great music, fine performances from a good cast, excellent cinematography, and a nice look at a neat part of music (and cultural) history. It's hard to like the characters, but that's how it is in real life sometimes, too. Tonally this is a very odd film, and there's some weird moments, and I'm not quite sure what the Coens are going for, or what the point is, but I feel like this is something they felt they needed to do, and, despite my issues, I respect this as a piece of art.
I do recommend it, but will warn you that you need to be in the mood for something dark, a bit vague, and fairly melancholy. For now, Let's give it 4 and call it a near A-, if only for formality's sake.

Pierluigi Puccini

A dour and pointless look on a folk singer in the sixties Greenwich Village scene. Musically and stylistically pleasant, but its dramatic and comical purposes… MoreA dour and pointless look on a folk singer in the sixties Greenwich Village scene. Musically and stylistically pleasant, but its dramatic and comical purposes are too flat to care much about.

Manu Gino

A soulful and beautifully constructed portrait of a man and his music,
Good Film! I know nothing about the folk music scene in early 1960s New York, yet I… MoreA soulful and beautifully constructed portrait of a man and his music,
Good Film! I know nothing about the folk music scene in early 1960s New York, yet I found this film engaging, funny, thought-provoking, and moving. The best parts of the film are not the Manhattan scenes, but the drive LLewyn takes to Chicago. The Coen Bros have used the theme of "driving at night" time and time again to make some great scenes, usually emotionally charged personal voyages. This is no different. Their cinematography and over all character driven story telling shines when their lead characters hit the road. The bit characters are fun and unusual in the Coen Bro's way, but do little to ease the 90 minutes of crass, immature, self-defeating, out-of-touch and eventually just pathetic life movements from Lleywn's character. For Coen Brother fans, its worth the journey; for general movie fans, be warned, as this is an interesting film, but arguably not an enjoyable one.
Follow a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles -- some of them of his own making.

Alex roy

The latest outing by the Coen Brothers is a near flawless character Study that is a brilliantly acted drama, and tells the story of Llewyn Davis, a musician who… MoreThe latest outing by the Coen Brothers is a near flawless character Study that is a brilliantly acted drama, and tells the story of Llewyn Davis, a musician who tries to become successful. Like every Coen Brothers film, this film is a memorable picture that is sure to delight fans of their work. The cast delivers great performances and actor Oscar Isaac steals the show in the lead performance. The film unfolds slowly in telling a richly detailed drama in the life Davis, and the Coen's are masters at telling an engrossing story that will suck you intro its characters, locations and surroundings in which their characters are set upon. The Coens have made better films, but this is still a solid piece of work from the Coens. If you enjoy their work, you'll love this film. The direction and writing are top-notch, and Llewyn Davis is one of the standout films of 2013. What stood out for me, in the film were the performances, and it's the case with every film that the Coens have made, the cast are always riveting, and each actor brings something that really makes the film soar above its already excellent script. I heavily recommend this picture to anyone that enjoy the Coens' work, and if you're looking for a well crafted drama, then this is the film for you. With this film, I think that the Coens really delivers a picture that echoes some of their finest films. The film is different, and manages to retain all the key ingredients that make a Coen Brothers film such a unique film experience. Inside Llewyn Davis is a brilliant drama that is a stunning character study into the mind of a musician that is trying to make it. Coen brothers fans definitely won't be disappointed s this is a richly detailed film that is memorable and highly engaging with its story.